BIOGRAPHY

South African Theatre writer and director...Paul was the 2005 recipient of the National Standard Bank “Young Artist Award” for theatre – this award is given to emerging young South African artists in recognition of their unique talent and excellence in their chosen discipline. He was again awarded with the 2005 Naledi Theatre Award for theatre directing of a play/musical, which he won for his stage play, “Relativity”. His theatre work has traveled internationally : “Relativity : Township Stories”(2006-8) was seen in the UK, Australia, Holland and Switzerland… “Telling Stories(2007-8) was seen in Belgium… and “Interracial”(2008) was seen in Vienna and Poland. He began his career as a writer for stage and television. His television writing credits include “Young Vision”(TV2 drama - 1994), “Suburban Bliss”(TV1 sitcom - 1995), “Isidingo”(SABC 3 daily drama - 2000), “Soul City”(SABC 1 health soapie - 2000), “Orlando”(SABC 2 detective drama - 2001), “Mponeng(SABC 2 sitcom adapted from the British sitcom known as “Keeping Up Appearances”) and Healside(SABC 2 medical drama - 2005).His theatre writing credits include “Enigma”(1997), “Not With My Gun”(co-written with Aubrey Sekhabi - 1998), “Urban Reality”(1998), “Messiah”(1999), “The Stick”(co-written with Aubrey Sekhabi - 2000), “Dikeledi”(an adaptation of Sophocles’ Electra - 2000), “Cards”(a re-writing of Mothusi Mokoto’s script – 2002 and 2004), “In this life”(co-written with Presley Chweneyagae - 2004) which was later numerously re-staged and re-titled “Relativity : Township Stories”, “Telling Stories”(2007), “Interracial”(co-written with Aubrey Sekhabi – 2007), and, “Maru”(an adaption of the Bessie Head schools set-work novel of the same name – 2008). Paul recently ventured into the world of Television directing, helming three(3) episodes in the second 39 episodes season of the Medical TV Drama, “Hillside”.

THEATRE : A play called CARDS

CARDS began as a provocative full-length stage play directed by Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom and co-written with Mothusi Mokoto. It was first developed in January of year 2000 at the Mmabana Arts Culture and Sports Foundation(formerly known as The North West Arts Council), where it played to full capacity. It was then revived and further developed for the Grahamstown National Arts Festival(Fringe) in June of that very year, where it was notoriously received rousing up such controversy that even Radio 702 called us up and interviewed us about the play’s controversial nature, and this resulted with the bookings of the play going up and we played to fully packed houses.

In year 2004, Cards was staged in Pretoria(at the State Theatre), as a fully-fledged production – with a bigger budget and a complete set. We enlisted the help of two professional actors [Siyabonga Twala and Tebogo Maboa] to lead the Development actors in the play. Theatre critic, Robert Greig, complained about the play’s length but called it :
“a triumph of directing”…
“an arresting insight into urban South Africa”…
[The Sunday independent]

In May of year 2005, it was staged at the Market Theatre, where it broke box office records of the theatre. It was also highly acclaimed by the media critics…
“Brothel shocker about much more than sex”
[Zingi Mfeka, Sunday Times]
… “Harsh take on brothel breaks new ground.”… [Robert Creig, Sunday Independent]…
“Utterly engrossed, I felt like I was a patron in the brothel myself. In fact, I felt dirty afterwards… but I still liked it.”…
[Charles De Olim, The Star Newspaper]

Subsequent to that, the play has been staged at the Windybrow Theatre in Hillbrow, where it also played to full capacity and it had a re-run at the State Theatre.